For how Long will the Red Rose Grow

Secrets Sealed in Petals

"Who is it?"

Shadow's voice cut through the coughing like a knife, nearly inaudible past the blood and adrenaline roaring in Sonic's ears. He heaved another cough, wet and hard, squeezing shut his teary eyes as he tasted the blood rolling down his tongue. He jumped and shuddered when he felt Shadow's hand, warm and broad, rest over his back in support. Pretty dumb of him to ask 'who is it' when I'm about to black out.

Sonic felt his airways block with what he assumed was another half-bloomed bulb lodged in his throat. He retched and hacked and heaved, trying to dislodge the stuck flower before his already blurred vision faded away to black. He would have forgotten about Shadow's hand on his back if not for the other softly pounding on it. The flower passed and he coughed it out with Shadow's aid, gasping and wheezing for air when the airways were unobstructed. He gulped down what he could, slumping weakly against the marble counter.

"Who is it?" Shadow asked again, helping to support him. Sonic couldn't help but rest his head on his chest.

He opened his mouth to answer, without a sound leaving his lips. He opened his teary and blurry eyes to gaze up at Shadow. His rival was staring at the petals and flower head in the sink before turning his icy gaze back to Sonic. "I can't say." He forced out, his voice barely a hushed whisper.

"Tell me." Shadow demanded.

"I can't." Sonic countered with as much gusto as he could muster. "I can't."

"You'll die."

"I know." Sonic knew that silence was a bad one, and he forced himself up to his feet and leaned shakily over the sink. He removed his gloves with tremulous hands, turning on the water to both rinse the petals of blood and splash his face.

"That's it?" Shadow asked again, his voice a scary combination of surprise, anger, and terror that sent shivers down Sonic's spine. "You're giving up?"

Sonic braced himself against the marble counter with his elbows, cupping his gloveless palms together and gathering a small pool of water between them. "No." He splashed his face and rubbed the icy tap water in. "I'm not. Not that easily." He cupped his hands another time and sipped the water from his palms, swishing it around to wash the blood and metallic taste from his tongue. He spat the water out over the flowers, trying the tap off and frowning as he stared at the carnage.

The petals were larger than before, or maybe he was just hallucinating it to be. They smelled of blood and roses, an intoxicatingly strange scent to his nose. What he thought was a half-bloomed bud was actually a flower in full bloom, with each petal spread vividly and vibrantly against the silver chrome of the restaurant sink.

"I can't believe you." Shadow grumbled, his eyes boring into Sonic's back as he shakily pitched up the flower and each petal for disposal. "There is no cure for this."

"I know, Shadow." He huffed, voice stronger than before but still weak. He threw the petals and flower head away wrapped in a paper towel from the dispenser. "Tails and I have done our research."

Shadow crossed his arms, flicking his ear in annoyance. "Then you understand how imperative it is that you tell him or her that you love them."

"I can't." Sonic reminded. "They don't like me back."

"You don't know that." Shadow pressed.

"Yeah, I kinda actually do." Sonic snapped, keeping his back to Shadow. "So I can't tell them, and put the burden of my death on their shoulders. I would think you could understand that."

Sonic didn't hear a word from Shadow, and he chanced a glance over at him. He was standing there, straight up with ears nearly flat to his head. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking away from his cobalt rival. "I do understand that." He answered at last. "But is it worth the pain on everyone else?"

Sonic chuckled softly, without humor, and cast his eyes downward. "No, but at least the pain for that one person wouldn't be as heavy." He looked back up at Shadow, clearing his throat and straightening up his posture. He plastered a grin to his face, a near undetectable fake one, and waved his hand towards Shadow. "C'mon. My voice is back, and our food is getting cold."

"Hmph." Was all Shadow said in response as they walked out of the bathrooms. They crossed the restaurant, Sonic following Shadow's lead back to the long table they were dining at.

"One more thing, Shadow." Sonic whispered lowly to him as they approached their table.

"What?"

"Please, please don't tell a soul."

Shadow hummed softly. "We'll see." When they arrived at their table, Sonic took his seat back beside Tails, and Shadow his place beside Knuckles.

"Are you alright Sonic?" Amy asked. Every the worrywart, she was. "You took off in such a hurry we were all worried about you!"

"Yeah, I'm good." He replied smoothly after taking a nice long sip of his ice water. "I had a cold recently, and I guess I'm still not one hundred percent!" He bluffed, laughing as if to seal the deal. Amy chuckled along with him, buying into his lie for the time being.

Shadow cut him a look from across the table, and Tails slipped his hand onto Sonic's knee under the table. Sonic gave Shadow a small shake of his head and Tails a nod. He couldn't have his secret out, not now. Not at all.

Not ever.

——
So when writing this chapter, I accidentally turned voice to text on and it plastered my entire conversation with my aunt and uncle in the middle of the story. I went to delete the thing, and it erased the entire draft in one fell swoop. It wouldn't let me undo it, so I stepped away from it.

I finally rewrote it!!

I'm sorry it's shorter than the last chapter, but the basic idea was deleted with the conversation voice to text had recorded. I had the basic gist in my mind, so I went from there! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter I spent way to long brainstorming a title for

Ps.
I'm gonna try and stay a bit more consistent on this one, I put it off after the chapter was erased, and then I started rewriting "Lovers of a Different Blood". After that was Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I'm just now getting back around to writing something that isn't just a rewrite. I wrote my cousin a Christmas story, and that helped the creative process along to make this! I'm sorry I've been inconsistent (and I probably will continue to be :/) but I'm actually trying my hardest to keep up. (Also ignore any typos my autocorrect is dumb)

Thank you all for your support and patience!!
~SuperHedgies